New technology a hit for arff

Published: 01 June, 2012

The UK Civil Aviation Authority, along with specialist safety experts and a number of airport operators have taken part in tests to determine the effectiveness of Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) on aviation fires. The trials, carried out at the test facility of the risk-control company, CNPP, in Vernon, France in May 2012, will feed into the current ICAO and EASA work on CAFS.

The tests were based on an 80m2 fire tray with a replica fuselage in the middle of a pool of 1,500 litres of fuel. The results of the tests were captured by CNPP research staff and once collated will be made available to the wider industry.

Simon Webb who is leading the project for the CAA, said: “This testing was an excellent example of the regulator, operators and manufacturers working together for the common aim of improving safety in aviation. The results of this research have delivered a key objective of the CAA Safety Plan to encourage the use of new technology in fire fighting and will direct us on the way forward with the CAFS technology.”

The tests also found that the new generation firefighting foams, which do not contain fluorinated products associated with the problem of environmental persistence, performed as well as the currently used film-forming foams. Thus the results identify those types of products and systems which satisfy both fire-fighting and environmental objectives.

Industry partners in the tests included the UK Airport Operators Association, Copenhagen airport and Changi Airport Group, Singapore.

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